Gps Cell Phone Tracking Technology
July 7, 2008 by Steve Maclin · Leave a Comment
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New regulations concerning GPS cell phone tracking will make you more secure especially during emergencies. Under new FCC regulations (E911) all new cell phones must have a GPS chip installed during manufacturing. This allows the local 911 dispatcher to access your location during any emergency. This technology has already saved numerous lives. In addition it has help law enforcement agencies to track and arrest criminal suspects. In addition many manufactures have designed their phones to allow the user to use the phone for navigation. However GPS cell phone tracking technology is not without its critics.
Many people feel the new GPS cell phone tracking technology is another intrusion into their privacy. FCC regulations generally prohibit anyone from accessing your cell phone information including your GPS tracking information. Even law enforcement agencies are required to have a judicial warrant to access your GPS cell phone tracking data. However, there are several new companies that have begun to provide Private GPS cell phone tracking information on any cell phone user. The legality of these services is a much debated issue. State laws often have in some cases restricted these services. Private investigators, bail bond agents and friend of the court personnel are the most common customers for this service. Obviously there is the possibility of misuse of this information by stalkers and other criminals. Some people have refused to upgrade their phones in order to keep their phone location information private.
The new GPS cell phone tracking technology allows the phone company and 911 dispatchers to accurate locate your cell phone to less 100 feet in most outdoor environments however if you live and work within the deep canyons of an urban setting the accuracy will be degraded to 300 feet or more. Buildings that do not allow good cell phone coverage will obviously prevent cell phone tracking. In addition if are located within area that blocks cell phone service. Recently a woman lost control of her car while on our local interstate ending up deep within the heavily treed median. She was trapped in the vehicle but was able to call 911 for assistance. Unfortunately she was unable to tell the dispatcher exactly where she was. State troopers and sheriff deputies spent time looking for her but her vehicle was not visible from the Interstate. Fortunately dispatch was able to access the GPS cell phone tracking information for her phone. Troopers were able to locate exactly where she was located and she was extricated from here vehicle and taken to the local hospital.
Despite all the privacy concerns, the new GPS cell phone tracking capability is a valuable tool for emergency responders and law enforcement personnel. Hopefully law makers will monitor the use of this technology to make sure that the ability to abuse this valuable technology is limited. However we certainly hope that they do not make laws that prevent private citizens from using this valuable tool to track their own privately owned phones. GPS cell phone tracking technology that allows you to keep track of your family members through their cell phone keeping you and your family safe.
IP Captioned Phone Service: Costs and Benefits
June 14, 2008 by Steve Maclin · Leave a Comment
Background
Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) allows persons with hearing or speech disabilities to place and receive telephone calls. A communications assistant (CA) relays the call back and forth between the person with a hearing or speech disability and a voice telephone user. For example, a person with a hearing disability can communicate in text with the CA, while the CA communicates by voice with the other party to the call. The CA repeats in voice what the user has typed, and types to the TRS user what the voice telephone user has said.
There are several types of TRS that consumers can use depending on the nature of the disability and whether they have some hearing and can speak. TRS types include traditional TRS, which uses a text telephone or TTY device and a telephone line, Speech-to-Speech (STS), and Captioned Telephone Service, as well as forms of TRS that use the Internet, specifically Internet Protocol (IP) Relay, and Video Relay Service (VRS). IP Captioned Telephone Service is one of the newest forms of TRS. For a description of the various types of TRS, see FCC’s consumer fact sheet at www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/trs.html.
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Hearing Aid Compatibility for Cell Phones, Part 1
June 9, 2008 by Steve Maclin · Leave a Comment
This is the first of a two-part series that we’ll post on Hearing Aid Compatibility for cell phones/ wireless Telephones. We begin by providing its legislative background and then proceed to a broader discussion, including a short video, of what exactly makes a cell phone “hearing aid compatible.” Quite interesting.
Background
The Hearing Aid Compatibility Act of 1988 (HAC Act) generally requires that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ensure that telephones manufactured or imported for use in the United States after August 1989, and all “essential” telephones, are hearing aid-compatible. When Congress passed the Act in 1988, it specifically exempted “telephones used with public mobile services” (wireless telephones) from these requirements. To ensure that the HAC Act kept pace with the evolution of telecommunications, however, Congress granted the FCC a means to revoke or limit the exemption for wireless telephones. On August 14, 2003, the FCC determined that continuation of a complete exemption for wireless telephones would have an adverse effect on individuals with hearing disabilities, and that limiting the exemption was technologically feasible and in the public interest. Based upon these findings, the FCC established rules for the hearing aid compatibility of digital wireless phones.
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Junk Faxes: According to the FCC
June 5, 2008 by Steve Maclin · Leave a Comment
Some of you might wonder what junk faxes have to do with a site devoted to cell phone lookups, but let’s not forget that there are several different things that can be accomplished over telephone lines — one of which is sending unsolicited faxes to unsuspecting individuals. That’s where this post comes in. I’ve written about this in a previous post, but for now, I’d just like to ask you a few questions.
Do you hate answering the phone or voicemail and hearing a fax tone? Do you hate getting disturbed at 5am (or all night) by fax calls (even if you don’t even have a fax machine)? Do you hate having your ink, paper, and fax machine being used by people who are breaking the law? Do you want to put a stop to this? Keep reading.
The Federal law passed in 1991 known as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) makes it illegal to send any material transmitted via facsimile that advertises the commercial availability or quality of any property, goods, or services that is transmitted to any person without that person’s prior express invitation or permission.
So, if they send you COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING by fax without your prior consent, they may be liable. Political statements and fundraising faxes are treated differently (go figure).
If the fax was deliberately sent to you (as most junk faxes are), federal law entitles you to recover a minimum of $500 and, depending the judge’s discretion, up to $1,500 for each such fax that you receive. Many people get $2,500 per fax in small claims court (also see TCPA Law for briefs and research that win legal cases).
Background
The TCPA and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules generally prohibit most unsolicited facsimile (fax) advertisements. In addition, the Junk Fax Prevention Act, passed by Congress in 2005, directs the FCC to amend its rules adopted pursuant to the TCPA regarding fax advertising. The FCC’s revised rules: (1) codify an established business relationship (EBR) exemption to the prohibition on sending unsolicited fax advertisements; (2) define EBR for unsolicited fax advertisements; (3) require the sender of fax advertisements to provide specified notice and contact information on the fax that allows recipients to “opt-out” of any future faxes from the sender; and (4) specify the circumstances under which a request to “opt-out” complies with the Act.
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Cell Phone Features
October 2, 2007 by Steve Maclin · Leave a Comment
It’s not a 21st century gadget. It was developed in 1947 in the form of a car mobile phone. The concept of cellular phone (telefone celular) was produced by Bell Laboratories with the permission of FCC (Federal Communication Commission), and had everything to do with broadcasting and sending a radio or television message out over the airwaves. But there was a scientist, who gave a new shape to the same device. Dr Martin Cooper, a former general manager in Motorola, made the first call on a portable cell phone back in 1973.
The first ever cell phone (telefone celular) was very large and bulky. It almost looked like a radio frequency device. The weight of Motorola’s first cell phone was 2 pounds. But now the structure of cell phones has evolved to match the style and comfort of the user. They have shrunk drastically both in size and weight. It is easy to tailor cell phones by choosing its features and functions for one’s comfort. There are phone covers that change the face and design of the device. Various accessories are available such as car chargers, belt clips, phone covers, data cables and etc.
Cell phone (telefone celular) emerged as a device of luxury, but in the fast growing technical world, it plays a much bigger and important role. You can get wireless Internet service through your cell phone, with web and email capability. A cell phone with a mini web browser can help retrieve web emails and chat, etc., while you are on the move. A special kind of browser is used for surfing the net on a small cell phone screen. If internet use is a must, make sure that when buying a cell phone you make the choice for graphic browser capability instead of a text-based browser. Also, if you think you will browse the wireless Internet often, you may want to consider buying a cell phone with a larger than average display size.
There are International websites that allow sending mails, without having a computer. All you need is a basic GPRS enabled mobile phone and you can access your mail on your cell phone (telefone celular) anytime and anywhere. It is no wonder that cell phones have become a bed-side essential for us today, like a bottle of water that we may need any time. It is no longer a device of entertainment. From local weather forecast in the morning to your loved ones good night messages, it keeps you connected all the time.
With cell phones (telefone celular) becoming a device with all the modern technology, its theft is growing across the world. In a survey it was found that in the UK a cell phone is stolen every three minutes. In the United States, the statistics are very similar too. By keeping a note on the IMES identification that each phone has, you can trace a phone, though it’s a tedious process. The IMES code is individual to each cell phone, when you lose your phone, you can refer the code to your network provider as well as handset provider and trace back the cell phone, or at least block the applications in the phone. The person who stole the cell phone can’t use it after the IMES code is blocked.
Cell phones (telefone celular) have definitely become a very popular consumer electronic product. Not just for plain conversation, but for lots of other purposes. With the availability of internet connection, cell phone as broaden even more its options of uses. Not to mention GPS capability, a life saver for tracking cell phone users who are in emergency situations.
Whether for personal or professional purposes, people just can’t seem to live without cell phone (telefone celular). A luxury item in the early days, now it is a must have item at all times.
